Basstrike Fishing Blog

The lure baits given or fed to female bass affect their response to reproduction. If female bass are fed with natural foods, their urge to migrate to their pre-spawn staging areas increases. The increased demand for food by pre-spawn bass in preparation for their imminent reproduction is obvious, but you may have to reduce the size of feed or bait before these fishes switch to their summer patterns. This doesn’t mean the fishes are losing their appetite, but it’s because they need to adjust to the new season and shallow water in a more progressive manner. The best three baits you can use during this period are discussed below:

1. Ned Rig: Joe Uribe Jr. caught aggressive pre-spawn bass that with a 7” swimbaits. Joe also used Ned Kehde, simple and effective bait, to feed those fishes that were young. Joe used a 3/16 oz. Mushroom-Style jig and a 4” Yamamoto Senko that has been reduced to 3” to walk Ned Rig swimbaits through the slanted edges of stony bars. Pausing frequently with light rod-tip shakes actually gave the impression of a baitfish feeding at the bottom of the water.

2. Small Swimbaits: Marty Lawrence, during an event on Lake Havasu, used three different sizes of Keitech swimbaits—2.8”, 3.8” and 4.8”. He discovered the smallest size (2.8”) was more effective than others. Slow but methodical retrieves are necessary if you’re going to use small swimbaits.

3. Dropshot: When you’re in a challenging circumstance, form a versatile rig by tying a hook with a Palomar knot. Leave one foot at the end of the tag and pass the tag back through the eye of the hook in a top-to-bottom manner. The hook should be standing perpendicular to the fishing line and weight being held with a leather holding.

Thin baitfish or worms hooked at the nose provide easy-to-capture meals for the pre-spawn bass that will eat the appetizers until the habitat is favorable for them to start reproducing.